12,212 Worcester pensioners are set to be hit with a £ 12,211,770 stealth tax following the Budget, new analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. Research by the Resolution Foundation think tank has found pensioners are set to lose out from last week’s Budget. This is due to the Conservative government’s decision to freeze income tax thresholds, which will lead to a £8 billion tax bombshell for pensioners across the country by 2027-28, or an average of £1,000 each. Further analysis by the Liberal Democrats suggests this will impact on the estimated 12,212 pensioners in Worcester who pay income tax. Worcester’s Liberal Democrats have said that this showed the Conservative Party has “abandoned” pensioners who are already struggling to pay the bills. The Liberal Democrats were the first party to commit in full to the triple lock for the upcoming election, which ensures pensions will see an increase by whichever is highest of average earnings growth, CPI inflation, or 2.5%. Liberal Democrats have called on the government to double the Winter Fuel Allowance to offer extra help to pensioners, paid for by a proper windfall tax on the oil and gas companies. Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate and spokesperson for Worcester, Cllr Mel Allcott said: “Pensioners who have worked hard and paid taxes all their lives are now being punished by this Conservative government with a £1,000 stealth tax. “Many elderly people are already struggling to make ends meet as heating bills and the cost of the weekly shop go through the roof. Now these Conservative tax hikes will only pile on the misery. “The Liberal Democrats are proud of our record of introducing the triple lock to protect people’s pensions. We will stand up for the pensioners in our community who have been cruelly abandoned by the Conservatives, including by calling on the Government to double the Winter Fuel Allowance.”
JESSIE’S BLOG: Period Equality
Tackling Period Inequality: Our Pioneering Scheme In Claines, we are proud to launch a pioneering scheme aimed at combatting period inequality in our community. Spearheaded by Cllr Jessie Jagger, our team is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to essential hygiene products, regardless of their financial situation or background. Rationale: Period inequality is a pressing issue that affects individuals across various demographics, impacting their education, employment, and mental health. Shockingly, recent surveys have highlighted the extent of this problem, with many individuals forced to prioritize food and fuel over period products. Our scheme aims to address this injustice by providing free sanitary products at select locations in Claines. About The Products offered We are sourcing the products from a UK company renowned for its sustainability and social consciousness. The pads 100% plant-based, biodegradable and sourced from a UK-based social enterprise. For every box purchased, the enterprise will donate a box to another area in need, amplifying the impact of our initiative. How It Will Work: Starting immediately, individuals in need of period products can access them free of charge at Perdiswell Leisure Centre, Claines Church, and Scouts Worcester. The scheme’s success will be evaluated, and if proven successful, donations will be sought to sustain it. Those interested in contributing can email jessievjagger@outlook.com.While there is currently a limited supply for each location, we will review the uptake after the trial period and seek donations to sustain the scheme if it proves successful. Our aim is to provide barrier-free access for all individuals in a discreet and dignified manner, ensuring that no one in our community is left behind due to something as natural as menstruation. Together, we can make a difference and create a more inclusive and equitable society for all.
Budget a “Desperate Deception” as families in Worcester face soaring bills
Worcester’s Liberal Democrats have labelled the Chancellor’s budget announcement a “desperate deception”, with income tax bills still set to rise for local people. Worcester’s Liberal Democrats have said that local residents will see through this “deception” by the Chancellor and that people don’t want more “empty promises” from this Conservative government whilst “local health services are left on their knees”. Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate and spokesperson for Worcester, Mel Allcott said: “This Budget will barely touch the sides for families and pensioners around here, who are facing soaring mortgage bills while the cost of the weekly shop goes through the roof. “People in Worcester know that their tax bills will remain sky high after this budget, and the Chancellor is attempting a desperate deception after years of income tax hikes. “People don’t want more Conservative empty promises while our local health services are left on their knees. They want proper change through a General Election so we can kick this Conservative government out of office.”
257,246 four week waits for a GP appointment in Herefordshire and Worcestershire last year
Herefordshire and Worcestershire saw a 55% rise in four week waits for GP appointments last year when compared to 2022, House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. The NHS data measures the time between when the appointment was booked and when it took place. It showed that the number of appointments that saw patients wait two weeks or longer in Herefordshire and Worcestershire has spiked by 29% to 959,922 in 2023, up from 743,310 the previous year. It means the proportion of appointments where a patient waited two weeks or longer in Herefordshire and Worcestershire has risen to 17.4%, up from 14.2% in 2022. Worcester’s Liberal Democrats have criticised the Conservative government for letting the community down with their neglect of local health services. The Liberal Democrats are calling for a legal right to get a GP appointment within seven days, or 24 hours if in urgent need. The policy would enshrine this right in the NHS Constitution, putting a duty on the government and health service to make sure it happens. It would be achieved by increasing the number of GPs, and increasing the number of nurses and pharmacists fully qualified to prescribe day to day medicines. Commenting, Parliamentary Candidate for Worcester, Mel Allcott said: “Far too many people in Worcester are struggling to get a GP appointment when they need one. It is causing people huge anxiety because they can’t be confident any more of getting the care they need. “It shows our community has been totally abandoned by this government when it comes to local health services. “Being able to see a GP when you need to should not be too much to ask, but even on this measure people are being failed after years of neglect by this Conservative government. “That is why the Liberal Democrats are calling for a legal right for all patients to see their GP within seven days or 24-hours if in urgent need.”
Worcester Lib Dems host a guided nature walk to get people “Wild About Worcester”.
The Worcester Lib Dems kicked off spring early on the 9th March, as they organised a guided nature walk along part of the Wild about Worcester Way – a 12 mile circular wildlife route that connects fifteen green spaces in our beautiful city. The walk started off at Bath Road going through Battenhall Park then via Redhill Lane up to London Road and finished at Waitrose for tea and coffee. Leading the walk was Paul Snookes, who co-founded the Worcester Environmental Group (WEG) in 2021 with WLD Chairperson, Alison Morgan. WEG enhances the biodiversity in Worcester and helps residents to connect with and understand nature more. Paul said, “We not only face a climate emergency, we also face a biodiversity collapse. In response WEG’s amazing volunteers are bringing hope for a better future. Together we can thrive in a flourishing natural environment.” The group explored many sorts of habitats along the way, including Duck Brook, a wildflower hay meadow, ponds, trees, hedges, traditional orchards and many other features. The route is home to all sorts of creatures, including insects, bees, slow worms, hedgehogs, foxes, otters, and bats, just to name a few. Lib Dem Campaigner, Jon Taylor (Arboretum Team member) said after the walk, “Thank you so much to Paul for taking us on a guided tour of part of the Wild about Worcester way. Paul was, of course, excellent and there was a great turnout.” Alison Morgan, WLD Chairperson, was extremely happy with the event. She said ‘I was very pleased the walk was a success and so well attended. It’s important to understand the world around us so we can take better care of it. Further guided walks are planned for later in the year.’
Call Out Male Violence Against Women: Liberal Democrat Candidate demands thorough investigations into abuses of power in the West Mercia Police
Sarah Murray, the Liberal Democrat candidate for the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner has called out West Mercia Police following a report that a woman who reported her police officer ex, was instead arrested herself. The woman called 999 to report her ex-partner for abuse but ended upbeing arrested and spending 18 hours in a police cell. The woman is convinced her ex-partner used his role as an officer to get her arrested and out of their house. Councillor Murray, a staunch advocate for ending male violence against women and girls, said, “This is an outrageous abuse of power and is the exact problem that led to convicted murderer, Wayne Couzens, being able to take advantage of his police officer status to gain power over Sarah Everard. The similarities are alarming and all police forces should have learnt from this catastrophic mistake.’ ‘Confidence in the police needs to be restored and this report only further damages the fragile public trust in our police force. A culture of misogyny evidently exists with abusers making it a safe career choice.’ ‘I am astounded at the lack of investigation into the allegations made against this particular officer. If I am elected as the Police and Crime Commissioner I will be working with the Chief Constable in acknowledgement of the Angioloni report released on 29 February, to improve standards of recruitment, vetting and investigation, so that no police officer will be able to hide behind his uniform or badge.’ ‘Further we need to uphold the exemplary behaviour of those police officers who are doing the right thing and are tarred with the same sticky brush that Couzens swept over the police force.’ Murray’s comments follows an investigative report by Nicola Goodwin at BBC Midlands into four complaints of abuse and coercive control, including one from a female police officer, made to West Mercia Police about an individual male officer. West Mercia Police deemed his service to be acceptable and no disciplinary hearing was required. PCC John Campion said he understood some victims of domestic abuse do not feel comfortable reporting their experiences to the police. Sarah told us ‘This just isn’t good enough. Female victims of male violence have a difficult time because of the lack of understanding shown to them. I am fed up with hearing this ‘there, there, there’ approach to female victims. I want to see action taken against men who abuse positions of power.’ ‘West Mercia needs a Police and Crime Commissioner who understands the needs of victims. Whilst a culture exists in which the police, the public or anybody turns a blind eye to violence against women, we will never put a stop to it. We need to call it in and call it out.’
SARAHS BLOG: Feb 2024
Local Elections 2 May 2024 February has been a busy month, and you will, we are sure, start to notice an upturn in political activity over the next few months as we draw close to another set of the local elections. These are local elections with a difference: Worcester is moving away from its current system of voting for a third of councillors every year (except for County Council Election year) and instead, from this year, will only have one City Council election every four years. Whichever party takes control of Worcester City Council on 2 May, will keep control of it for the next four years. Liberal Democrats have a strong and proud tradition in local government, with just under 3,000 councillors across the UK, currently leading 67 councils across England and Wales. We are the persistent defenders of local democracy and, as you will be aware, work hard for residents all year round. As all Council seats will be up for election, you will have two votes for Worcester City Council on 2 May and we hope you will choose your local LibDems to represent you. Sarah and John will be the candidates for St Nicholas (Warndon Parish North) and Paul will stand again in Leopard Hill (Warndon Parish South). The second candidate for Leopard Hill is just being decided and will be made known to you soon. Police and Crime Commissioner Election 2 May 2024 Sarah is delighted to have been selected as the Liberal Democrat Candidate for West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner. Sarah is a strong candidate with a wealth of experience in the criminal justice system gained through her experience in the field of law, teaching and working in mental health services. Sarah is also known for campaigning vigorously to end violence against women and girls. She believes the root causes of crime need to be tackled and would love the opportunity to work with the Chief Constable to represent the policing needs of the residents of West Mercia. With a proven track record of listening to voters and campaigning to improve their lives, we hope to see Sarah elected to this important role. General Election 2024 We are thrilled to announce that Deputy Mayor, Cllr Mel Allcott, has been selected to stand in Worcester on behalf of the Liberal Democrats in the General Election. Mel has a longstanding history prioritising the interests of Worcester residents at a City and County level. Mel brings a fresh perspective to parliamentary elections and cares deeply about the welfare and aspirations of Worcester residents. Mel will be campaigning hard. If you haven’t met her and would like to, please drop one of us a message and we’ll let her know. Pump Track In spite of an attempt by some councillors to stall the proposed pump track in St Peters because of some concerns raised by residents, LibDem Councillor Jessie Jagger put forward an amended proposal and the decision was made to proceed with the proposed works whilst working with residents to mitigate their concerns. Councillors also voted that officers should look for further sites in Worcester to locate a pump track which will provide active play for children and young people in Worcester, bringing proven benefits to their physical and mental wellbeing. Offerton Lane Nature Reserve At John’s request, Sarah invited an officer from Worcester City Council on a tour of the ward. We wanted to show him the state of Offerton Lane Nature Reserve, how the ponds have silted up and how blocked ditches and culverts are resulting in localised flooding. We also took him to see the difference volunteers have made to Corfe Avenue ponds and showed him historical (20 years old) photographs of the wildlife that used to reside in Offerton Lane. The officer was inspired to put proposals forward for a project that will see works carried out over the next year or two, to reduce the reed bed and unblock the ditches and culverts. We have heard from residents that they want the Nature Reserve restored to its former state, as a flourishing natural habitat where visitors can thrive alongside the biodiversity of the site. We will keep you updated and are delighted to have been instigators of this project. Ash Dieback As you will be aware, Sarah was instrumental in the implementation of an Ash Dieback plan. This month, Sarah supported Cllr Stephen Hodgson’s proposal for a budget amendment to support the work that will be required to manage ash dieback throughout the City, but predominantly in New Plantation Woods. The proposal was voted down by other councillors. An increase in the budget would have saved officers from having to return to committees to request further funding should it be needed, which might have saved valuable time and possibly have saved trees. Untreated, the disease will spread and we want to save New Plantation Wood from having to be cleared entirely. Sadly, we were in the minority. St Nicholas Ward and Leopard Hill New election boundaries for Worcester have now been approved by Parliament. The impact on our corner of Worcester is that our wards will change name. This will take effect for the May elections and so you can expect to see the name change in future leaflets from us. Warndon Parish North will now be known as St Nicholas and Warndon Parish South will be known as Leopard Hill. We like the new names and think they will be easier for residents to understand. We’d love to hear your thoughts. You can read about the boundary changes across Worcester here. March Nature Walk On 9 March at 10am-12pm, we would be delighted if you would join us for a 2k nature walk along part of the Wild about Worcester Way with Paul Snookes from Worcester Environmental Group, followed by a visit to Waitrose for coffee and cake. The route will start at Bath Road, through Battenhall Park and Redhill up to London Road with lots of stops to observe and learn about the nature on our doorstep.
Lib Dems Seek Answers Following the Announced Closure of Farrier House Local GP Practice
After the announcement that Farrier House GP Surgery was to close, the Liberal Democrats have been making efforts to understand the underlying issues. The Lib Dems launched a petition that gained closed to 200 signatures and consulted with healthcare experts to explore options for saving the practice. Cllr Jessie Jagger, a City Councillor and patient of the practice, said, “We spoke to a member of the House of Lords and some independent health care experts to explore options we could push for. We had a meeting with Simon Trickett, CEO of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and his team. We came armed with research and options. Unfortunately, it became clear that the ICB staff had already exhausted most of these avenues. It also became clear that long-term work is needed to prevent other practices from suffering a similar fate.” The Lib Dem team has also reached out to Three Counties Medical School at the University of Worcester which is already doing a great deal to address these issues, but because of the LibDem interaction, new ideas have emerged and the ICB has promised to work with the university to explore this. Mel Allcott, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, said, “flaws in the funding formula, particularly in Worcester, have placed undue stress on GP practices. GP funding allocations are based on assumptions that don’t always align with the needs of our community or keep up with changes in demand, making challenging for practices to remain attractive and sustainable.” Lib Dem research has further revealed that many patients wait at least 4 weeks to see a GP. Sir Ed Davey, commenting on the analysis, remarked, “Millions of people are being left anxious or waiting in pain because they can’t get an appointment with their GP.” Paul Jagger, a patient, and Libdem campaigner said “I am very disappointed by the closure of our local GP practice, especially considering that our area is underfunded. The disproportionately high young demographic in the city centre clashed with the GP funding formula, making it challenging for practices like ours to thrive. So, we need a re-evaluation of the formula to ensure Worcester gets what it needs when it needs it”.
Worcestershires schools set to receive a £14m cut to spending power
Schools in Worcestershire are set to be hit with a 14m cut to spending power in 2024/25 data from the National Education Union (NEU) reveals. It means that funding per pupil in Worcestershire will be cut by £168 in 2024/25 compared with 2023/24. There are 226 schools in Worcestershire. 210 of which will have less spending power in 2024/25 as a result of these funding cuts. For Primary schools in Worcestershire, there will be a £164 reduction in spending power per pupil over the next financial year, and in Secondary schools there will be a £243 fall in spending power per pupil. Worcesters Liberal Democrats have warned that the fall in spending power will push already stretched school budgets to the brink, with a worse educational experience for pupils and worse outcomes. It comes as new data released today shows that this Conservative Government has cut the annual growth in funding in cash terms from 8% in 2023/4 to 3.1% in 2024/5. The Lib Dems are calling for the Government to review school funding after the IFS has concluded that the purchasing power of school budgets in 2024 will still be about 4% lower than in 2010. Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Worcester and recently announced Parliamentary candidate Mel Allcott said: “This Conservative government has failed Worcesters children. Parents in our community should not have to send their children to schools which have had their funding decimated by a Conservative government that has lost interest in providing high-quality education. “Investing in education is investing in our future but this Conservative government has let school buildings crumble and overseen a severe shortage of teachers. Far from preparing the next generation for the future, Ministers have totally abandoned them. “The Liberal Democrats know that investment in education boosts our children’s futures. The Treasury needs to urgently look at increasing school funding”.
Cllr Sarah Murray chosen as candidate for West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner
The Liberal Democrats are delighted to announce that Councillor Sarah Murray is their candidate for the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner . Cllr Sarah Murray is a strong candidate with a wealth of experience in the criminal justice system gained through her experience in the field of law, teaching and working in mental health. Sarah is an advocate for mental health services and has also campaigned vigorously to end violence against women and girls. She believes the root causes of crime need to be tackled and although the Liberal Democrats would scrap Police and Crime Commissioners, whilst the role exists Sarah would like the opportunity to bring liberal values to West Mercia Police Force to help tackle crime and provide policing that meets the needs of the community. As an avid Lib Dem campaigner, Sarah has a proven track record of listening to voters and campaigning to improve their lives. With the surge in Liberal Democrat support across the region, particularly in Shropshire, the race is widely considered to be between Sarah Murray and the Conservative candidate. Cllr Murray said ‘I am delighted to have made it through the selection process. I believe I can bring a degree of authenticity and diversity to the role. My background in law, teaching and mental health lends itself to a role that requires a dynamic approach to tackling and preventing criminal activity. I would love the opportunity to bring Liberal Democrat values to West Mercia.’
